On the verge of one of the most important budget seasons for ASUO, the executive, senate and finance committees are having a difficult time finding common ground on how to deal with the 2014-15 finances.
For next year, the University of Oregon administration is recommending that the incidental fee’s growth cap be brought down from 7 percent to 3.5 percent. Students will have to pay less in fees, but in return all incidental fee-funded operations will be forced to tighten their budgets, which could lead them to cut out some of their services or lay off their employees.
As of now, the ASUO Executive is in support of the 3.5 percent cap. According to ASUO President Sam Dotters-Katz, staying with the 7 percent growth would make the ASUO budget and the incidental fee one of the largest in the country.
“The incidental fee does tremendous things for students,” Dotters-Katz wrote in the memo regarding support for the 3.5 percent cap. “However, we believe that leaders must step up in difficult times and make the difficult and occasionally unpopular choices based on the options they have.”
The executive may be willing to make the tough choice, but the committees that budget the incidental fee-funded groups aren’t quite as willing.
Among the four committees that deal with those funds, two of them proposed their 2014-15 budget that included a percentage increase that was above 3.5 percent. The EMU Board proposed a 4.5 percent increase, while the Department Finance Committee proposed a 7.08 percent increase.
The DFC budgets for large campus groups and organizations such as the Oregon Marching Band and University Theatre. Within all the departments they budget, the DFC has to take into account student employees.
“If we don’t get the growth we need, the first thing to go would be student positions,” ASUO senator and member of the DFC Ryan Fritsen said.
The budgets that were proposed were a best-case-scenario situation, so the likelihood of students losing their jobs is high.
“I think the biggest consideration right now is getting clear on what senate wants to do,” Fritsen said. “There has been talk about a 5 percent versus 3.5 percent growth in regards to how senate wants to approach next year’s budget.”
The 5 percent growth is what some senators are suggesting to be a good common ground. Sen. Helena Schlegel said that senate needs to be reminded that they aren’t bound by the executive’s choices.
“That cap is an unreasonable level given that the groups are asking for just the essentials,” Schlegel said. “Five percent cap is a reasonable compromise.”
Not all of senate agrees. Sen. Josh Losner said that committees need to understand that the new cap isn’t a recommendation. It’s essential.
“The 3.5 percent administrative recommendation should be a necessity for us to follow,” Losner said. “We continue to go about the recommendation and flirt with the cap every year, and now it’s time for us to put our foot down.”
No budgets have been approved yet, but in the winter term the ASUO branches and financial committees will have to find some common place in order for next year’s budget to work.